Even after he woke up, Shining sat staring at the ceiling. He blinked, watching as the faint glow of his eyes caused dancing shadows to splinter and shoot across the room. Finally, with a brief protest from his side and shakey legs, he forced himself upright.
The room he had been given was somewhat small, the mat he now slept on dominating most of the floor space. Despite the room being mostly dark, he could see it perfectly. The small gathering of dust on one corner not covered by the mat, the plain walls, the simple roof carved with what he now recognized as charms repelling evil spirits.
He threw off the blanket, finally managing to hoist himself up. A brief chill ran through his body as it protested the removal of the warm sheets, but was placated when he threw on his heavy jacket. He slipped on his boots, taking a deep breath, before stepping outside.
At the same time, his father stepped out of his own room. Shining froze, the older Umbrum doing the same as they looked at one another. Finally, the awkward pause was broken by Tenebrae laughing, saying, "The soldier and the fisher, huh? We wake up early, we end the day with wet fur, and we both do underappreciated jobs, eh?"
Shining shrugged. "I guess so."
"Come on", Tenebrae said. "I'll make us some tea."
Shining followed after Tenebrae, entering the main room of the apartment. While Tenebrae moved into the attached kitchen, Shining moved over to a small box in the corner of the room. He had been shown it before, of course; he wanted another look.
Opening up the box, he was greeted by the interior being lined with a thin layer of red silk, decorated with swirling patterns of wind, trees, and beasts. In the center sat a simple painting, depicting... his family. At least, the one he had been born into, and separated from. His father stood tall and proud, holding his sister in his hooves.
His eyes then turned to him, and to his mother. He had learned her name, Senka, when he was shown the box. She had pale white fur, closer to the one that his disguise had than his own pale grey. Her mane was tied back, landing loosely at her side. She held him close to her, grinning as if she was holding the most precious thing in the world. He sat in her arms, smiling as well, albeit the goofy, unfocused one of a toddler. He had been given his own name too: Whiteout.
Whiteout. That was the name he was born with. What did that make either it, or the one his parents back in Equestria gave him? He would still go by Shining Armor, but...
He was stirred from his reverie by a loud slam. Looking back in alarm, Shining saw his father look up from the central stove. The clang was from the large bowl that now rested over it, its cause explained by a sheepish grin on Tenebrae's face. "Sorry. Slipped."
"No worries", Shining said.
Tenebrae leaned down, fueling the fire with some of the wood stacked by the pantry. "I was thinking", he said, looking back up as he closed the stove's fuel slot. "You're back. Of course, we've celebrated in a way. But... Well, what do you think about the two of us going fishing?"
"Fishing?", Shining asked, sitting down on one of the fur-lined chairs.
Tenebrae smiled. "Yes! Proper Ice Fishing, just the two of us. Maybe get something special for the main festival tonight."
Shining couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath at the mention of the festival. It was officially for King Sombra, whose return had been announced later the day they had arrived in Sombrashaven. While he had only gone out of the apartment to help Ciaran and Shroud get some groceries, he had already seen and heard enough of excitement to be uncomfortable. He still hadn't reconciled the information he had been given and what he had seen of the former tyrant and what the other Umbrum thought of him.
"I mean... Why not?", Shining said. "What's involved?"
"Oh, I have all of the things we need", Tenebrae said, all the while pouring in some water. "I have a friend we can borrow a sled and dogs from. There's a lake down in one of the valleys on the other side of the mountain that we can get access to."
"Get access to?", Shining asked.
Tenebrae opened up a small tin of tea, putting it into the steaming pot of water. "There are cycles in which we can fish lakes and rivers near here. We fish too much, there won't be enough fish to repopulate. This one lake has just gotten approval for us to fish in it again."
"Alright", Shining said. He looked over to the box once again, not leaving the small painting that filled the interior.